1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a continuously adjustable, two-part mandibular protrusion splint for treating snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea.
2. Prior Art
Snoring may be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, characterized by repeated and frequent cessation of breathing at night, which may be associated with severe health complications, such as, for example, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, inter alia. U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,066 and European patent application EP 1 203 570 have disclosed brace-like bite splints of this type for preventing snoring, which serve to move the mandibula slightly forwards, since in this position of the mandibula the respiratory tracts are opened wider, enabling the patient to breathe more freely without snoring.
The known bite splints in the form of a one-piece, brace-like mouthpiece consist of thermoplastic materials having two bite channels, which are shapeable on warming. The patient puts the warmed, as yet unfitted mouthpiece in the mouth and then presses the mandibular and maxillar teeth into the corresponding lower and upper bite channels in the shapeable plastic and fits them to the bite channels by biting on the bite plates. The plastic cools in the process and regains its solid elasticity, after which the mouthpiece has been fitted to the patient. During the fitting operation, it must be ensured that the mandibula is moved forwards somewhat in order to establish a permanent protrusion. The known bite splints have the disadvantage that a protrusion, once established, can only be adapted with difficulty to changing needs of the patient, and consequently the effect achieved initially deteriorates with time.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,138 proposes a dental appliance for treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea which has a maxillar part, a mandibular part and a connecting means, where the connecting means retains the lower part in an adjustable manner in an anterior, protruded position relative to the upper part.
To this end, maxillar and mandibular splints have to be manufactured individually in the dental laboratory after an impression has been taken.
The connecting means proposed, which generally consists of the material titanium, is a pin which is attached in a fixed manner perpendicular to the base surface of the upper part and can be coupled in a stepwise manner in various positions of the lower part.
The present invention was based on the object of providing snorers and sleep apnea sufferers, by comparison, with a mandibular protrusion splint with comparable efficacy which has a long service life and is easy to handle. In addition, the splint to be developed should be capable of being fitted easily by any doctor—not only by dentists—or even by the patient themselves, which requires a considerable simplification in handling. Furthermore, the mandibular protrusion of the mandibular protrusion splint according to the invention should be capable of being matched steplessly to the needs of the patient.
This object has been achieved in accordance with the invention by the provision of a universal two-part mandibular protrusion splint comprising a lower part (2) and an upper part (3), each of are shaped in the manner of a dental brace to fit the human maxilla and mandibula, where the upper part is connected to the lower part via a connecting means arranged horizontally on the base surface of the two parts, in such a way that the lower part is adjustable continuously to the anterior in the longitudinal direction.